A separate election for Opposition Chief Whip, an ex officio member of the Shadow Cabinet, happened at the same time. Rosie Winterton was unopposed in that election, and she will serve for the remainder of the Parliament. The results of the Shadow Cabinet election were announced on 7 October 2010, hours after the balloting closed.

The PLP voted to abolish Shadow Cabinet elections at a meeting on 5 July 2011,[3] and the National Executive Committee and the Party Conference followed suit.[4] As a result, the 2010 Shadow Cabinet election was the last.

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Shadow Cabinet elections typically happen near the beginning of a session, but were delayed until after the leadership election,[5] which ended with the announcement of Ed Miliband as winner on 25 September. Nominations were open from 26 to 29 September, and voting occurred from 4 to 7 October.[6][7] The leader may choose to assign Shadow Cabinet portfolios to non-members, who are considered to "attend" Shadow Cabinet.

On 8 September 2010, the PLP voted to continue electing the Shadow Cabinet and made various changes to the rules for such elections:

Shadow Cabinet elections will be held every two years, rather than every year.[8]

The Chief Whip will once again be separately elected, reversing a change made before the 1995 Shadow Cabinet election that allowed the Leader of the Labour Party to hand out the position as with any other Shadow Cabinet portfolio. Now, the Chief Whip will be elected by the PLP for the duration of a Parliament.[8]

For a PLP member's ballot to be valid, it must contain votes for at least six women and six men,[6] up from four.

The Shadow Cabinet will no longer be the Parliamentary Committee when the party is in opposition. Instead, the latter will be a backbench group just as when the party is in government.[9][10]

^It is unclear from the sources (see note 2, below) whether Healey was a full Shadow Cabinet member before the election or merely in attendance, in which case he would be listed as joining rather than having been retained in the Shadow Cabinet.

At the same time they elect members of the Shadow Cabinet, the Commons PLP will elect the Opposition Chief Whip.[8] The incumbent Chief Whip, Nick Brown, announced on 29 September that he would not be a candidate, writing in a letter to the new leader, Ed Miliband, that though he had intended to stand for election to the post, he was acceding to Miliband's request that he stand down.[13][14] According to the BBC, after the announcement, Jim Fitzpatrick, who had also intended to stand for the post, withdrew his candidacy, and Miliband asked Rosie Winterton to stand,[14] and she did so unopposed.[15]

^"Labour Chief Whip Nick Brown Agrees to Stand Aside". The Guardian. 29 September 2010. Retrieved 29 September 2010. As you know I intended to stand for election as chief whip. During our meeting earlier today you indicated that you wished me not to do so. The chief whip must have the full confidence of the party leader. I fully respect your wishes and will no longer be standing for the position